Individuals with strong leadership skills will always be in high demand in the workplace, especially those roles that actively manage other employees. However, for many these are not skills that one can passively learn and proactive actions are needed to grow. There are many ways that you can grow as a leader, but here are some tips on how to get started:
- Spend time self-reflecting
Good leaders are constantly looking for opportunities to learn, grow and improve themselves. It’s part of the job. This means that you need to be honest with yourself about what you’re doing well, and what areas need improvement.
Start by identifying where your skills and knowledge can be expanded: What skills do you have that others don’t? What are the areas where your experience could help others? How have your relationships with other people helped or hindered their ability to succeed?
Then look at ways in which you can improve those areas of weakness: Are there certain projects or tasks that would be easier if someone else took them off your plate? Can you develop a better understanding of how best to motivate people under different circumstances?
- Home in on awareness skills
It’s not enough to be aware of your surroundings, though. You also need to understand how you feel about it. As a leader, it’s important for you to be able to recognize when something is going wrong in the moment and take action on your own accord. In order to do this successfully, you’ll have to home in on your awareness skills by paying attention to signs from the people around you (and yourself).
- Listen carefully when people speak and pay attention when they’re silent as well—what do their words mean? Are they saying one thing but thinking another? Are there any hints at what could happen next?
- Be aware of how others are responding or not responding—are they looking anxious or calm? Is there tension between them or is everyone getting along like best friends? If someone seems unhappy about something that’s happening right now, ask them why! It could be helpful information later on down the line if this situation ever happens again (or even preventable if all goes well).
- Learn from your entourage of excellence
The next step is to learn from the entourage of excellence that surrounds you. You can learn from other people’s mistakes, and their successes. If a peer or superior has done something that seems to be working well, ask them how they did it so well. This is an excellent way to learn how to manage your time effectively and prioritize tasks appropriately. Also, if someone who is better than you at something shares their knowledge with you about how they got there, take advantage of it! Asking for advice doesn’t cost anything except for the time spent talking with someone one-on-one—and if they’re willing to share their insight with you then surely, they’ll be happy because they know that what they’ve learned can help others do better as well.
On top of learning from the people around us who seem “smarter” than we are (or just have more experience), we should also make sure we’re paying attention when our peers teach us things too! After all, it’s important not only that leaders know what works but also why those strategies work—so learning about both sides of leadership will make us better equipped for success down the road!
- Remember that leadership is a team effort
As a leader, you must remember that leadership is a team effort. While you are responsible for setting the tone of your group and ensuring that everyone is working toward the same goals, effective leaders understand that they do not have to be in control at all times in order to be effective. Instead, they recognize that effective teamwork and collaboration with others allows them to accomplish much more than they could on their own.
- Developing as a leader takes work and can be uncomfortable sometimes, but it’s well worth it.
As a leader, developing yourself is an ongoing process. It isn’t something you can be fully prepared for, because there are always new things to learn and ways to improve. You will make mistakes along the way, but that’s fine—it doesn’t mean you’re failing at being a leader; it just means that you’re getting better at leading!
I’ve learned that developing as a leader takes work and can be uncomfortable sometimes, but it’s well worth it. Knowing what kind of leader, I want to be, has helped me think about how I should act on my team and how I can support others who are trying to improve as leaders too (and let me tell you: this makes for some great conversations!).
- Embrace a Growth Mindset.
As you work to become a more effective leader, remember that success is not about the outcome of your actions. Instead, it’s about the process by which you make decisions and take action. In other words, it’s about your mindset: Do you believe that intelligence is something that can be developed? Do you believe in the value of learning from mistakes and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone? If so, then congratulations—you’ve got what it takes to successfully develop as a leader!
If we dig into this concept further and break down some basic psychology behind why leaders succeed or fail (and how they can improve), we find two major factors at play: intelligence and personality. Intelligence refers to our ability to learn new information quickly; personality refers (in part) to our willingness or unwillingness to accept responsibility for failures along with successes.
- Practice Giving and Receiving Feedback.
Feedback is a two-way street. You give feedback to your team members, but you must also be prepared to receive it when others give it to you. Feedback can be difficult to hear, but it’s important for us as leaders to listen well and take in what others are saying about our leadership styles and approach.
Feedback can be positive or negative; constructive or destructive. Don’t let any of these options scare or discourage you from seeking out feedback from your peers and subordinates. Instead focus on understanding why someone might want to provide this type of feedback so that when they do, you understand what their perspective is on the situation at hand and appreciate their ability to be honest with you without offense taken on either end
- Respect and Share Ideas from All.
There is no such thing as a stupid idea, and there is always room for improvement. In order to be the best leader you can be, it’s essential that you make sure everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas with you. Even if they aren’t right or don’t fit in with your overall plan, they might help inspire something better!
- Know Your Intentions.
When you know your intentions, you can make better decisions. When you know your intentions, you can communicate more effectively. When you know your intentions, it will help keep things organized and efficient.
I’ll repeat myself: knowing your intentions will help with everything!
- Be Humble.
Being humble is a quality that all leaders should have. Being humble means, you are aware of your strengths and weaknesses, but more importantly it means knowing your limitations. It also means being aware of the limitations of others, as well as their potential and accomplishments they have made thus far in life. It takes humility to admit when you make mistakes or fail at something—and this is one of the most important things for any leader to do! If you can’t admit when you’re wrong, how can anyone trust that you’ll listen to them?
Be mindful about how much power or authority other people may perceive from your position as a leader. Even if someone isn’t directly reporting to you, don’t abuse their willingness to help by taking advantage of them or expecting too much from them without giving back anything in return. Make sure everyone feels like they’re being appreciated for their efforts with equal measure; no one likes feeling underappreciated or taken advantage of!
As you can see, there are many different ways to develop as a leader. The key is to find the method that works best for you, whether it’s reading books on leadership or taking workshops. Keep in mind that leadership development is a lifelong process of continual learning and growing. If you want to be successful at something, then don’t think about what not to do! Just start doing it!